| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Adventure by Jack London: great bell to be rung as a signal for the plantation hands to cease
work and go to their barracks. Then he mounted his man-horse and
made the last round of the day.
In the hospital were two new cases. To these he gave castor-oil.
He congratulated himself. It had been an easy day. Only three had
died. He inspected the copra-drying that had been going on, and
went through the barracks to see if there were any sick lying
hidden and defying his rule of segregation. Returned to the house,
he received the reports of the boss-boys and gave instructions for
next day's work. The boat's crew boss also he had in, to give
assurance, as was the custom nightly, that the whale-boats were
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: anything he said. There were still some subjects, indeed,
under which she believed they must always tremble--the
mention of a chest or a cabinet, for instance--and she did
not love the sight of japan in any shape: but even she
could allow that an occasional memento of past folly,
however painful, might not be without use.
The anxieties of common life began soon to succeed to
the alarms of romance. Her desire of hearing from Isabella
grew every day greater. She was quite impatient to know
how the Bath world went on, and how the rooms were attended;
and especially was she anxious to be assured of Isabella's
Northanger Abbey |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw: staggering absurdity in appointing an ordinary clerk to see that
the leaders of European literature do not corrupt the morals of
the nation, and to restrain Sir Henry Irving, as a rogue and a
vagabond, from presuming to impersonate Samson or David on the
stage, though any other sort of artist may daub these scriptural
figures on a signboard or carve them on a tombstone without
hindrance. If the General Medical Council, the Royal College of
Physicians, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Incorporated Law
Society, and Convocation were abolished, and their functions
handed over to the Mr Redford, the Concert of Europe would
presumably declare England mad, and treat her accordingly. Yet,
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The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela: metrio and his men greeted his suggestion. Crestfallen,
he realized they still considered him of no account.
On the morrow, as the men set off in search of good
mounts before taking to the road again, Demetrio called
Luis Cervantes:
"Do you really want to come with us? Of course you're
cut from another timber, we all know that; God knows
why you should like this sort of life. Do you imagine
we're in this game because we like it? Now, I like the ex-
citement all right, but that's not all. Sit down here;
that's right. Do you want to know why I'm a rebel? Well,
The Underdogs |
